The changing make-up of the workforce is why the Future of Jobs Report shows that 64% of businesses. Image: Team Connecto/Unsplash
This article is part of:Centre for the New Economy and Society
- Surging populations mean employers in Sub-Saharan Africa are far more optimistic about talent availability compared with those in other regions, the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 shows.
- However, robust labour force does not guarantee sufficient talent supply, with many businesses in the region seeing a skill gap as a potential barrier to transformation in the next five years.
- A majority of employers plan to ramp up their workforce development to secure the skills they need, and many are also investing in diversity, equity and inclusion programmes to widen their access to talent.
The population of Sub-Saharan Africa is expected to rise by 79% over the next 30 years. This surge to 2.2 billion will come at a time when most developed countries are facing shrinking and ageing populations, giving the region a demographic dividend that offers labour-force benefits and substantial economic potential.
This can be seen most clearly in terms of optimism about talent availability, as data in the World Economic Forum’s Future of Jobs Report 2025 reveals, with employers in Sub-Saharan Africa much more upbeat about this than those in other regions. Almost half see talent availability improving in 2025-30, compared with 29% globally.
These changes will give Sub-Saharan Africa’s workers increasing influence over the global employment landscape. Globally, countries seeing population growth are expected to supply nearly two-thirds of new workforce entrants in the coming years, and remote work means some of them will not have to emigrate to take up positions around the world.
More than a third (36%) of employers globally see changes to laws related to remote work as a priority this decade, according to the Future of Jobs Report – and as employers around the world look to tap into Sub-Saharan Africa’s workforce, this will also impact attempts by the region’s employers to attract and retain staff, prompting them to expand the talent pools they draw from and the benefits they offer.
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What does the future of work look like in Sub-Saharan Africa? Increasingly interconnected with international companies and increasingly inclusive, with women and young people benefiting from the hunt for skills in emerging technologies, as well as in customer service, global citizenship and problem solving.
“The world is at an unprecedented crossroads, with volatile geopolitical trends, shifting demographics, the impact of frontier technologies on employment and prevalent jobless growth in the Global South, particularly on the African continent,” says Kasthuri Soni, chief executive of Harambee Youth Employment Accelerator. “Given these trends, there is a significant opportunity for African youth to seize the increasing global demand for a digitally skilled workforce, offshoring capabilities and labour mobility.”
Key labour-market trends in Sub-Saharan Africa
Despite talent availability being less of a worry in Sub-Saharan Africa, there are still concerns about a skills gap, with many businesses in the region seeing this as a potential barrier to transformation in the next five years.
The reason for this is the shifting nature of the skills that employees are expected to have. AI, big data and technological literacy are rising fastest, with cybersecurity and networks skills not far behind. Skills related to problem solving are also rising in prominence, such as flexibility, agility and creative thinking.
In Nigeria – which has a large and growing working-age population, with about 70% of people aged under 30 – the rise of remote work has led to the country developing a Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) industry that is creating many digital jobs. As a result, 87% of employers see an increasing need for network and cybersecurity skills by 2030, far above the already high global average of 70%.
Next on the list of in-demand skills is AI, big data and systems thinking (problem-solving by analyzing the connections between different parts of a system). On the non-technical front, customer service and global citizenship skills are expected to be highly sought-after – more so than in the rest of the world, again reflecting the rise of BPO and remote work.
“Greater investment in education across the continent can drive higher levels of innovation and productivity, as well as enhanced workforce market readiness and national competitiveness, better positioning the continent as an attractive investment destination”— South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube
In South Africa, roles for AI, machine-learning specialists and robotics engineers are rising fastest, boosting demand for AI and big data- and technological literacy, alongside resilience, flexibility and agility. In Zimbabwe, non-technical skills are most sought-after, with systems thinking, marketing and media, customer service, dependability and attention to detail, quality control and global citizenship all increasing in demand more rapidly than global averages.
A drive to develop the workforce
To nurture these skills, employers in Nigeria and Zimbabwe plan to ramp up their workforce development over the next five years, while those in South Africa – where population growth is lower than in many parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and has been slowing – intend to invest in diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programmes to widen their access to skilled talent.
But businesses also think the state has a part to play, with 73% of firms in Nigeria saying that increased public-sector funding for reskilling and upskilling programmes would boost talent availability, and 70% in Zimbabwe feeling the same way – both way above the global average of 47%.
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Some initiatives are already in place – Nigeria has the DeepTech_Ready Upskilling Programme, which aims to spread digital and AI skills to 20,000 young people, while Zimbabwe has teamed up with the UAE government to create a Digital Skills Development Programme targeting 1.5 million young people.
“Zimbabwe must prioritise reskilling and upskilling its workforce to remain competitive in an era dominated by AI, IoT, data science and green technologies,” says Phillip Phiri, executive director of the country’s National Competitiveness Commission. “To achieve our Vision 2030, Zimbabwe must also urgently reform education curricula, strengthen industry-academia partnerships and leverage innovation hubs to bridge skills gaps. Embracing ICT and sustainability-driven sectors will be critical to fostering inclusive growth, enhancing industrial competitiveness and securing a resilient and future-ready labour market in a digitally advancing global economy.”
In Nigeria, four in 10 companies want the state to improve transport services and infrastructure to boost talent availability, with the current prevalence of informal and unreliable minibus services hindering people’s ability – or willingness – to travel for work. Creating safe and regular public transport systems can help bring more people, particularly women, into the workforce, according to World Bank research.
Work needs to also be done within the education system, according to South Africa’s Minister of Basic Education, Siviwe Gwarube. “If Africa is to seize its moment and unlock the potential of its youth, it must start by ensuring that every child, regardless of their background, has access to quality education, including in the early learning years,” she says. “Investing in the education of young people is not an act of charity. It is a strategic investment in Africa's future workforce, consumer base and economy.
“Greater investment in education across the continent can drive higher levels of innovation and productivity; enhanced workforce market readiness and national competitiveness, better positioning the continent as an attractive investment destination; and reduced levels of socio-economic inequality.
“Together with all key stakeholders and the private sector, South Africa's Department of Basic Education is undertaking a strategic reorientation of the basic education system towards improving the quality of education outcomes in the early years. This includes expanding access to quality early childhood development and improving the quality of teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy subjects in the foundational learning years.
“By improving the quality of early learning outcomes, more young people will be able to progress through the schooling system, participate and excel in mathematics and science-related subjects, access higher-education opportunities and ultimately participate in and grow the economy of the future.”
What’s next for Sub-Saharan Africa?
The rapid expansion of youth populations is changing the face of Sub-Saharan Africa and its workforce. It is also being altered by the rising emphasis on DEI policies, with 96% of organizations headquartered in the region saying they have DEI priorities.
Women and other under-represented groups can be encouraged into the workforce by proactive policy changes from employers. In South Africa, a shifting stance on DEI means 55% of businesses (compared with 27% globally) plan to look for staff from disadvantaged religious, ethnic and racial backgrounds, while 41% (versus 24% globally) intend to look at those from low-income backgrounds. Roughly a third (34%) are also considering removing degree requirements to find people with the skills needed to fill emerging jobs.
“What employers offer their staff in terms of salaries, other benefits and flexibility will have to change if they want to attract and retain talent. Remote work means young people with sought-after skills will be able to pick and choose their employers from a global not just a local menu”
Progress is already being made on some fronts, with the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2024 showing that the gender gap for labour-force participation is getting narrower, including in professional and rapidly rising technical roles.
The changing make-up of the workforce is why the Future of Jobs Report shows that 64% of businesses in Sub-Saharan Africa expect an increasing focus on labour and social issues to be a key trend impacting their business strategy in the next five years.
What they offer their staff in terms of salaries, other benefits and flexibility will have to change if they want to attract and retain talent. Remote work means young people with sought-after skills will be able to pick and choose their employers from a global not just a local menu. Working parents may also make different demands around work patterns.
Securing increased workforce inclusion will benefit the region’s economies, and it is one of the principles of the World Economic Forum’s Future of Growth Initiative, which seeks to help countries foster economic growth that is also more innovative, sustainable, inclusive and resilient. These goals can all be progressed by helping people from all backgrounds access training opportunities throughout their life – in schooling systems, in workplaces and through state-supported initiatives – and this has to be one of the priorities for companies in Sub-Saharan Africa in the next five years.
